Uprooted and Replanted

Uprooted and Replanted tells the true story of Helmut Heckscher’s life. In this lively memoir, Helmut shares his experiences and adventures, starting with his childhood growing up as a Jew in Nazi Germany and his escape to the UK with the Kindertransport. He writes of working in a factory in England, his interment at the start of World War II, and nights in the subways of London during the Blitz. Meanwhile, as Helmut recounts, the family’s ex-maid, Rosa Hoga, was working on saving her former employers from the Nazis. Helmut eventually reunited with his parents in Wisconsin, then was drafted into the Army. His memoir details his life as a soldier in training, and service in Asia after the War, where his exploits included traveling around Japan with large bags of cash and a pistol he did not know how to use. After moving back to the US to study with the support of the GI Bill, Helmut eventually married and settled in Newton, Massachusetts, where, after his wife died, he raised three children, negotiating the challenges of single parenthood. With a lively voice, Helmut tells the story of his remarkable life, and paints a picture of a refugee becoming an American in the 20th Century.